Cushion device for gates of water-wheel casings.



No. 810,803. I 'PATENTED JAN. 2-3, 1906.

- 0. E. PARSONS. CUSHION DEVICE FOR GATES OF WATER WHEEL GASINGS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

mum

No. 810,803. 'PATENTED JAN.23,1906. 0. E. PARSONS.

CUSHION DEVICE FOR GATES OF WATER WHEEL OASIN GSQ APPLICATION FILED APR.1,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Wiwasar: v fiw PATENT ED JAN. 23, 1906. 0. B. PARSONS. I GUSHION DEVICE FOR .GATESOF WATER WHEEL o smes.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET. 3.

vNo. 810,803. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. G. E. PARSONS. CUSHION DEVICE FOR GATES OF WATER WHEEL OASINGS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1,1906

4 sums-sum 4.

a 1mm 22 I I5 r Z 4. I i y 0 VACUUM i C f 1 [INA IIJT PIPE I i in AIRPIPE o 0 0 00 OIL PIPE v sr 1 n J it i my P 5501i ti no. eiceos.

Specification of I GE LENS FALLS, hE'W YURK.

Patented J 23%, 19 136.

App ication iileil h nd l, 1906. Serial l lo. 253339.

. of 'WatenVZheel Ca sings and the Like; and I.

do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, sud exact des .ription of the invention, sur wili enehie others s tilled the to which it apperains to make and use same.

This invention relates to devices for avoid ing the sudden. and. dangerous increase of pressure in closed conduits and vessels due to the abrupt stoppage oi" the ilow'of fluid therein or to similar causes.

My invention is available for use in various relations involving a closed vessel or conduit wherein there is liability of sudden and dangerous increase of pressure owing to the rapid closing of the valve or gate controlling the" lot or exit thereof. It is, however, specially applicable to the conditions*existin hydraulic systems wherein. the penstocks and water-wheel casings are liable to be subjected to such rapid increase of pressure by the su d den arrest of the movin column of water when the gates are moved by the usual gov ernor or other appropriate means to shut off the water from the wheel as to cause them to burst, thus entailing reat damage and loss to the plant and to ad acent properties and is illustrated and will be described in this connection.

One Oil-566i] of my invention is to oppose to v and operate by a moving part- 501'. example,

a water-wheel gate a confined body of coin pressi'ole fluid, as air or gas, constituting a yielding gradually-increasing resistance the pressure of which may be gaged with relation to the weight or power of thegate to finally stop its movement at a determined point.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a graduallydncreasing yielding resist ance opposed to and operated by a moving i l i l part 1d means torelicve the moving part from 4 nressure of the resistance.

W .these and other ob ects in view my invention wi l be described in detail in. the

ensuing specification and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one form of device for carrying my invention. into practice, T'gure l levetion of the case or honsi of c i l l device the extreme inner end. oi the oil-cylinder embodying my invention. cal section thereof. tion taken in a plane b m of 2. Fig. 4; is a diagrammatic view showing the relation of my cushions to pressore and vacuum tanksand to the gate-rods and water-wheel case of a hydraulic plant. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail or" one form of pressure and vacuum tank.

My invei'ition invo ives two coinn' unicating pressure-chambers, here shown a tank A, having a single pressurechamber B, containing air and a non-compressible fluid, such as oil or glycerin, under pressuresay two hundred poundsan exhaustor vacuum tank, which may be, as here shown, a chamber C, contained in the walls of the tank A. and separated from the pressure or oil and. air chamher B by a stout impervious partition C, and tho cushioning device D, which is connected by suitahleports and piping (to be herein tter designated by reference char the air and oil or pressure chamber i? Fig, 2 a vertitank A and also with the vacuum-chamber C thereof. These elements are conveniently located with relation to the penstock and water-wheel casing E of a hydraulic system or plant and with the valve or gate which controls the flow of wet r from the penstock,

said gate being operated by a governor-controlled engine or other means commonly employed and constituting the usual and Wellknown accompaniments of such plants, and therefore needing, no detailed description herein.

[it a convenient point adjacent to or more or less remote from the gate which controls the wateri'low frointhe penstool: to the wheelcesing E is my cushioning device D, operated from or by the gate in its closing movementby means of the gate-rods F or'proj ections attached to or forming part of the gate, said rods and the'cushion D being so arnanged that the former in the closing movement of the gate "will impinge upon a piston or its stem protruding from the cushion-casing and thrust it inward within said casing.

My cushioning device D comprises a stout casing or housing provided with avcylinder 1-, hereinafter called the oil-cylinder,within which is mounted to reciprocate a piston '2, suitably packed to prevent the escape of oil between it and the cylinder. Ayalve-chamber 3, locate 1 in'the housing, ceinmunicatcs through passage or portfi wit actors) with i of the (See Fig. 3.).

said chamber 3 being provided also with a passage :3 to receive the end of a pipe I), lead-- ing from the oil-tank B. The upper part of the valve-chamber is also provided with a tapped passage or opening 6 to receive the end of the pipe 0 leading to the vacuumchamber C. Seated in the valve-chamber to control the passage .5 isa check-valve 7, and in the pipes I) and 0, connecting said valvechamber and the pressure and vacuum tank are automatic or manually actuated valves 1) 0, respectively, preferably the latter, to control communication between pressure-tank B and the valve-chamber 3 and between vacuuni-tanlt U and said valve-chamber. (ommunicating by a passage 8 with the inner end of the cylinder i is what I shall for convenience term an "air-cylindei" i), which is provided with a piston 10, suitably packed, having av stem ll, which protrudes through a gland or stalling-box 12 in base of said cylinder G-and constituting an indicator or tell tale, its position always denoting the position of the piston 10 within its cylinder.- The up per end of the air-cylinder 9 communicates through a port or passage 13 with an airvalve chamber 14, containing a checkwalve 15, which controls a passage 16, into which is screwed a pipe b, which communicates with the air-space of the pressure-tank B. In order that the air-valve 15 may be tight when resting on its cat, .i prefer to fill the valvechamber 14- with glycerin nearly to the height of the passage 1.5. it will be seen from this construction that under norn'ial conditions the piston 2 oi the oil-chamber l and the piston ll} of the air-chamber 8, though otherwise balanced by the pressure in tank B, will be out ol balance and piston 10 will be at the inner or lower end of its chamber, owing to dill'erencc in surface area on opposite sides of the air-piston 10, the lower surface thereof being reduced in area by the stem it), so that each piston will be at the outer end of its sroke and the cylinder 1 and cylinder llwill contain, respectively, oil and air under the same dctern'iined pressure If new under these conditions the gate is started by the usual governorcontrolled engine or other means in its closing movement, the gate rod or projection l contacting with the outer end ol the piston 2, will move the piston inward, thus forcing the oil in cylinder 1 through passage 8 beneath the piston 10, passage oi may be connected by an air-pipe.

tion between the penstock and water-wheel, so that the movement of thei-olumn of water through the penstock will not at this time be entirely stopped, thus insuring the system against the shock of sudden stoppage of the flow of-the column of water. Moreover, it will be seen that the gate ad *anccs in its closing movement the increasing compression of air in cylinder 9 will serve to more and more retard the movement of the gate, thus gradually bringing the moving column of water to rest, or nearly so, before or at the time of the final closing of the gate. if new it is desired to completclyclosc the gate, the valve (1 between the oil-pressure tank B andoilvalve chamber 3 is closed, thus shutting off the pressure from said tank, and the valve 0 between said chamber and the vacuunntank C is opened, thus drawing the oil or other non-comprcssible liquid-piston from the cylinders 9 and 1, so that the further closing movement of the gate is opposed only by the compressed air behind the piston it), the latter as the pressure from tank B is removed resuming is position at the inner end ol its cylinder 9 under usual conditions. Upon raising the gate and freeing the end ol piston '2 from contact with the rods or projections F of the gate and turning the valves 1) and c, controlling pipes b and c, to appropriate po sitions oil under pressure again admitted to the oil-cylinder 1, forcing the piston 2 to its original or outermost position and again balancing the pressure in the cylinders l and 9.

Theair-cylinder?) isprovided near its lower end with a blow-oil cook 13 to discharge any oil that may accumulatein the air-chamber in front of the piston 10.

It will be understood that the vacuum in the lower section C of tank A may be maintained by the oil-pump which forms a part of the usual governor mechanism. it will also be understood that the air and oil pressure chambers may be separate and more or less remote, but that the same pressure should be maintained in both, and so if separate they it is also to be noted in connection with the foregoing description of one form of the invention and the mode of applying and operating the same that while the necessary pressure ol the oil and air in the system and the required degree of vacuum in the compartment (3 may be, and preferably is, maintained by the usual pump and tank oi" the water-wheel-governing mechanism the required conditions of pressure and vacuity may be produced by a head of water, a separate pump for the iquid or the air, or l'orboth, or by any other suitable means or apparatus.

Having thus described my invention, what l. claim, and desire to secure, is-- 1. An apparatus for gradually restraining a moving body, comprising a housing containing a non-compressiblo lluid under pres- IIO elastic-fluid cushion of high initial pressure operetively coi'inected with said non-compressible fluid.

3,. An epperstus tor gradually restraining e moving body, comprising a housing, a piston in housing adapted to be moved by the moving body, a non-compressible fluid behind seid piston, en elestic fiuid cushion operetively connected with said non-com nressible fluid, end means for relieving the elastic cushion.

An apparatus for gradually restraining e moving body, comprising e housing having communicating cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, e non-compressible fluid behind one piston, an elastic cushion behind the other piston, and means connecting said first-mentioned piston w th the moving body.

An e pperetus ior'gredually restraining a moving oody, comprising a housing having communicating cylinders, pistons in said cylinders, s non-conrpressible fluid behind one piston, en elestic cushion behind the other piston, means connecting said first-mentioned piston with the moving body, end ineens for relieving the elastic cushion.

' 6. An eppei itus for gradually restraining it moving body, comprising a housing having communicating liquid and air cylinders, pistons therein under balanced pressure, and

check-valves interposed between the source of pressure and said istons.

An apparatus .or gradually restraining e moving body, comprising at liquid-cylinder, an sir-cylinder communicating therewith, pistons in the respective cylinders, a source ofliquid and at source of air under pressure communicating with the respectivecylind ers and check-valves interposed between the pressure source end the respective cylinders.

8. An. apparatus for gradually restraining a moving bed comprising at liquidhyiinder, y en zur-eyhn er commumcsting therewith,

pistons in the respective cylinders, s source of liquid and a source of air under pressure communicating with the respective cylinders, check-valves interposed between. the rcssure source end the respective dinders, and means for relieving the pressure in the liqui le cylinder.

9. An apparatus for gradually a moving body, comprising e liquidwylinder, an sir-oylinder communicoti therepistons in the respective cylinders, e urce of liquid and a source of eir under ressurecoinmuniceting with the respective cylind check-velves internoscd between the nressure source end the respective cylinder end means for relieving the pressure from the back of the sir-piston 10. An apparatus for gradually restraining a moving body, comprising e' liquid-cylinder, en eircylinder communicating therewith, pistons in the respective cylinders, a source of liquid and e source of air under pressure communicating with the rcspectiye cylinders, check-velves interposed between the pres sure source and therespective cylinders, and means for Withdrawing liquid from the liquidcylinder.

11. A cushioning device comprising at housing containing communicating liquid end air cylinders, pistons therein, end check-rel ves controlling the exits from seid cylinders, the check-valve tor the air-cylinder having a liquid seel.

12. A cushion'n device comprising hensin% containing communicating liquid'end air cy inders, pistons therein, check-valves controlling the exits from said cylinders, and a stern on the piston of the air-cylinder projecting from the housing end indicating the position of seid piston. 1

In testimony whereof i aiiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

oneness Assets.

Tnno. F. KALBFLUSH,

l Witnesses:

l M. M. FRASER.

Lri 

